Sex offenders ‘can’t be rehabilitated, only trained’ – MPs told to make register public

Stuff co.nz 11 November 2015
Child sex offenders can’t be rehabilitated, “but they can be trained”, MPs have been told, hearing warring submissions over whether a register of such criminals should be made public.

Proposed new legislation for a register would reduce the risk posed by serious child sex offenders, in providing government agencies with the information needed to monitor them in the community, the Government says.

The register would include a wide range of identifying information about offenders, and the information of any children who lived at the same address as them.

The new laws would also require offenders to report their travel plans and provide details of their online accounts to authorised agencies, but the register would not be made public.

Keep up with family issues in NZ.
Receive our weekly emails direct to your Inbox.

Sensible Sentencening Trust spokesman Alan Monk told MPs in the Social Services Select Committee that would be a mistake.

“The general public has always been the eyes and ears of the police. To be even remotely effective in regard to sexual predators, the public need to know who could pose a risk to their children.”

Asked by Green MP David Clendon whether he believed offenders could be rehabilitated, he said offenders “can’t be rehabilitated but they can be trained”.

“They can be trained to manage the risk and avoid situations and avoid the risk when they might be tempted.”

Trust founder Garth McVicar said New Zealand’s high crime rate was partly attributable to levels of sexual offending toward children.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/73939172/sex-offenders-cant-be-rehabilitated-only-trained–mps-told-to-make-register-public